Friday, April 27, 2012

My in-laws are now empty nesters. Most of the time I look at that phase of life and think of how much I'll miss my kids. But from time to time I am extremely envious of them. Usually those times are between midnight and 6am...

Last night was supposed to be my night! I had the coveted "sleep through the night" side of the bed. About 3:00 am, the Sophi siren went off. Christi didn't budge. Given that it was her night to get up with the kids, I nudged her and then snuggled farther under the covers. But peace was not to be mine. "I'm feeling so sick...can you possibly get up with them tonight?" It's so hard to think rationally in the middle of the night. I guess you do get better at it with time and practice. So as my brain tried to clear I dealt with the severe disappointment. "OK." (I must admit, it probably wasn't a whole lot friendlier than that, but c'mon, this is a massive paradigm shift to deal with. At least I didn't ACT grouchy!)

I stumbled over a toy on my way to the hallway, groggily wandered into to Sophi's room and told her that I was not going to help her when she was screaming like that. I would be glad to help her use the bathroom, but she needed to get out of bed and come in and ask nicely for help. "I can't!" she said. "Yes you can. I'll wait for you in the bathroom." So I went into the bathroom and sat on the edge the tub. About 7 seconds later, a howl came from her room that far surpassed the screams she had originally woken me up with. I pictured her having somehow fallen into a position she couldn't get out of. Or maybe whacked her head on something. It had to be some serious physical harm that had come to her. I rushed into the bedroom, "What happened???" "SPIDER MAN!!!" I rolled my eyes and had to chuckle inside. Of course. Spider Man.

Sophi was terrified of just about all toys when we first adopted her. Stuffed animals were particularly scary for her. Didn't matter how cute or cuddly they were. She even screamed when offered a Minnie Mouse doll. Fortunately, this has improved dramatically over time and at this point she has many dolls and babies she loves very much. But not Spider Man. Years ago, I won a bunch of tickets at an arcade and got to pick prizes with them. I picked out the ugliest dolls you have ever seen for Taylor and Parker. They were stuffed Spider Man dolls. The boys have long since outgrown them. But they have stayed in the massive pile of stuffed animals and dolls that is in the room that Xander, Lexi and Sophi share. Xander is still young enough to like them. But Sophi is really terrified of them. Most of the time they're far enough across the room that she can see them and just holler fairly rationally, "I scared Spider Man!" My response is usually a caring "You don't need to be scared of Spider Man." Great dad, huh? (I'm not sure why the thought of throwing them away has never occurred to me before, but clearly the time has come:) Last night, however, the web-slinger had somehow maneuvered his way across the room until he was on the floor directly at Sophi's feet when she tried to get out of bed. So of course she had an absolute tizzy fit until I came and rescued her. Spider-Man, you have seen your final day in our home!!!

OK. In all honesty this really just happened. Sophi walked in and saw the picture I just posted and said, "Aaaaaa, I scared Spider Man!!!"

After I took care of Sophi, I heard Elli downstairs. As is often the case, she had taken off her jammies (this despite us now putting the onesies on backwards and pinning the zipper up). It took me several minutes to get her changed and re-tucked in. I finally crawled back in bed...and I heard a clock ticking. I have a really hard time falling asleep with a regular noise like that. If there's a loud clock, I have to move it out of the room. Then it hit me that it wasn't a clock. It was the dripping of water from our gutter in the aftermath of a major wind and rain storm earlier in the night. (Funny, I have no problem falling asleep to the sounds of a storm, but a steady drip...drip...drip can keep me awake forever?) So there was nothing I could do about the sound. I tried to put it out of my mind and drift off.... About 20 minutes later I was just about completely gone, when I heard Sophi calling out to me again. She didn't come in to get me, but at least she was calling in a sweet voice this time. I went out to help her again. This time she wanted lotion on her legs and face! At 3:45 in the morning!!! To be fair, she does have extremely dry skin. So I put some Eucerin on her, tucked her back in and begged her to let me sleep. Which she did. The whole thing took over 45 minutes.

So yes, all you empty nesters out there, I do at times envy the peace and quiet which must prevail in your homes. But overall? I wouldn't trade my kids at these ages for anything! (Well, I might trade them for a week or two in Mexico. But only if I could have them back afterwards:)

When we fell in love 20 years ago, we started down a path that has been challenging, exhausting, and breathtakingly beautiful. Here we chronicle the blessings and stressings of parenting some pretty amazing children. We think they're the perfect travel companions as we look forward to the next fork in the road. Welcome to our journey.

Jeremy and Christianne

Taylor Jeremy--18

Parker Matthew--17

The red-headed social butterfly, he's our all-star athlete, top student, outdoor-loving, spunky second-born, with a heart of pure gold!

Jessica Anne "Jesi"--14

Our little princess with the big smile, Jesi loves fashion, friends, hanging with her siblings, and vacations. She sparkles!

Jacob Michael-- 6/8/2004

Little one of heavenly birth, born too soon to bloom on earth. You have taught us so much--we love you, Jacob!

Emily Anne "Emmy"--9/28/2005

Emily's exquisite little hands and feet have left their mark in this world. Her body was tiny, but her spirit enormous. We miss her!

Elizabeth Mei "Elli"--13

Elli's world may be dark, but she's the light of our lives! Lover of music, chocolate, and new toys, she fights a courageous battle with autism while bringing joy to all who know her!!

Gracelin Kate "Graci"--19

Showing true grace throughout her battles with heart disease and pulmonary hypertension, our Gracester is loved by everyone! She's smart, gorgeous, friendly, and has faith to move mountains!

Alexander Philip "Xander"--12

With a spunk and smile that could outmatch anyone's, our Xander has not let Cloves Syndrome get the best of him. He's a talented chef, a caring friend to MANY, our best helper, and is full of teenage humor.

Alexis Li "Lexi"--13

Meet the friendliest girl on the planet! Blind from birth, Lexi amazes all of us with her braille skills, determination, talents, but mosly by the way she spends her days SMILING. She is an angel in every way. We are thrilled to have our darling daughter home six years from China!!

Sophia Breanne "Sophi"--9

Her eyes called out to us from half-way around the world. Little Sophi is growing up and we would do anything to freeze her in time! She's beautiful, smart, and coy and can do amazing things with her toes! She has inspired people all around the world and we can't believe she is ours. Sophi = perfection.

Calais Rose "Cali"--17

Charming Cali joined our family in December of 2012. This girl is beautiful both inside and out. Born with spina bifida, Cali is confined to a wheelchair, but that does not keep her from enjoying life to the fullest. She is smart, opinionated, strong, and lovely in every way. She is a light in our family and a magnet for handsome young men!

Conner Allen-- 17

Meet our newest addition! Home three years from China, Conner makes us wonder what we ever did without him. Blind from birth, he will blow you away with his incredible talent on the piano. He is sweet, witty, girl-crazy, kind and finally, OURS! We love you, Conner!

The Dog

Baxter-- 6 months

She begged and pleaded and wrote letter after letter telling us why she NEEDED a dog, and Sophi finally got her wish! Meet Baxter, the cutest mini-audssiedoodle on the planet.